#Be here tomorrow for a prompt that wasn't picked by the masses.

[ticknart]

Second Summer: Bedtime Story

Once upon a time, in the valley, Kingdom, and city of Grav, the twin kings, Ford and Lee, prepared for a tournament. Knights from across the land, even far outside of the great valley, were invited. Some would come to settle old scores. Some came to gain a name and honor. Some came simply for the purse. All, however, came to gain the favors of the kings. Grav was a small valley, but the kings made sure it was important to the world.

King Ford was a scholar. He created a college for higher learning which invited any to attend -- men, women, the wealthy, the poor, the crippled, the able -- as long as they continued to build on the knowledge that came before. Many came, expecting an easy life, cloistered and pampered. Life for King Fords scholars was whispered to be more difficult than life in the Royal army. Scholars living at the college had a large variety of duties. Each took a turn cooking and clearing and cleaning for the entire college. All were expected to keep the library clean and orderly and small groups were tasked with hunting down missing books lost in the dormitory, outside homes, or the King's private study and bedroom. Scholars in their fourth year went out into the city, towns, and farms to teach all members of the community. Everyone in Grav was expected to read, write, and cipher. King Ford firmly believed that the more educated the population, the stronger Grav would become.

King Lee, on the other hand, was ruthless, conniving, and greedy. His heart, though, belonged to his family, who he would protect with every fiber of his being, to his final breath. He believed that every individual within the Kingdom of Grav was his family. Each diplomatic mission he made was with his people in mind. His choice of ambassadors rarely came from the nobility, but from the learned commoner because they had a firmer grasp on the needs of their neighbors. After a flood, a fire, or some other disaster, King Lee was always seen swinging a hammer, carrying wood, or leading a plow. When they broke for meals, he sat with the others eating, laughing, and slapping backs. Though he hated spending gold from the treasury, King Lee did all he could to keep the people in their homes and working for each other.

Wen, of the Norwood, remembered when the kings visited her village, Cord, after a mudslide to help. King Lee dropped off his horse, pulled off his cloak and fine shirt, and got in line to help move rocks away from the slide. The guards with him quickly followed suit. King Ford commanded a group of men is brown robes trimmed with red, Scholars, who removed objects from wagons and constructed a great lifting device. It was a large tower covered in wheels that a long, fat rope was run through. Scholars placed a giant harness around the boulders, attached the harness to the rope, and were able to lift the boulders and place them out of the way. All who were taught to use the machine could lift a boulder. This was the first time she realized how strong the twin kings had made everyone, through leading by example.

The day before the tournament was Wen’s first time in the city of Grav itself. She was at the festival to sell furs from the animals she had trapped over the last year. She hoped that she would make enough money to leave her father's house. At one time, she thought she might be a Scholar. She wasn't so sure now. Here talents with reading and writing were stronger than some, but it wasn't what she most enjoyed doing. Sitting, reading a book, and taking notes all day didn't appeal to her. She didn't want to be trapped in one place unless it was the right place. She had only seen 16 winters, how could she possibly know which was the right place unless she visited them all.

As the wagon wound through the streets of Grav, Wen gaped at the buildings. At home only the church and the public house had stone foundations, but in Grav, most of the buildings were made of stone. The stone buildings were taller than the wooden ones. Yes, she watched the Scholars move boulders, but how did they stack stone so high without out any falling? How did they cut the stone so that it fit together so well she couldn’t see seams? Bridges of stone spanned from one building across the road she was on and over to another building. Children waved to her from above. She smiled in wonder and waved back. She'd always assumed that the books she'd read about Grav were made-up by people who had never visited. Now she knew differently.

The sun was near setting as she pulled into a vacant space near the tourney field and was glad that the sun took a long time to set during the summer. She locked the wheels then unhooked the team of oxen that had pulled the wagon. She hitched them to the far side and gave them water and fodder. She climbed back into the wagon to check on her booth and stock. Not only was her father a woodsman, but he was also a very clever craftsman. He altered the wagon so that one side could fold down and then open up into a booth. With a little bit of work she'd be able to attach a large rough cloth she'd bought to act as a canopy. Sometime, her father was as brilliant as he was infuriating.

A noise from down the way drew her attention. A crowd had gathered down where two roads crossed. Wen hoped that no one had been hurt.  She hopped down to the ground to check the hinges and clasps her father had added.

"OW!" She heard from beneath the cart as her feet hit the ground. She stumbled back, but caught herself. She knelt down in the mud. A round dirty face with bright eyes looked back at her.

She smiled and asked, "What are you doing down there?"

"Are they gone?" he whispered.

"Who? Nobody's stopped here until you."

"No. Down there." He pointed back to the group she'd been watching from the back of the wagon.

"Whatever it was, it's breaking up."

He sighed and she saw him relax.

"Do you need some help getting out of there?"

"Can you hold this?" He handed her a knit cap that had a star stitched to it.

"My sister gave me that," he said, out from under her wagon. "I think it's supposed to be funny, but I can't figure out why."

"Come around back. You can wash up before you go."

He followed her. The oxen stood chewing their cud, no longer interested in their food and water. The boy rolled his sleeves up and plunged his hands into the water. He splashed water onto his face and scrubbed it. Finished washing, he shook his hands in the air before untying his collar. He pulled his shirt up over his face and used the inside to dry his face. She laughed. Boys were boys everywhere.

He grinned up at her and said, "Thanks."

"You should watch that," she said, pointing to his eye, "it's gonna be sore soon."

He touched around his eye and winced.

"What happened out there?" she asked, handing him his cap.

He pulled it over his dirty hair and said, "I said the wrong thing to someone bigger than me. When he hit me, I ran. He was fast. When I knew he'd catch me, I dogged behind a woman in a big dress and he ran right into her." The boy smiled at her again. "He tried to push through her dress. How stupid is that?"

"That's pretty bad."

"Right? So, I started running again and dove under a wagon -- your wagon -- to hide until it was over."

The sun had finally set and darkness began to settle in over the city.

"Do you want me to walk you back home?"

"Thanks, but no. When there are so many people out here the guards set up torch bearer rounds to remind visitors that their being watched. They come at every half."

"You want something to eat?" she asked.

"Always."

Wen climbed into the back of the wagon and grabbed her pack. When she looked over the edge, the boy wasn't there anymore.

"Wendy, are you from the Norwood?"

She jerked around. The boy had climbed into the wagon with her and was petting one of her furs.

"My name's Wen, actually and yeah, I'm from a little town called Cord."

"That’s why you have this fur. This kind of beaver is only found in the Norwood."

She handed him a piece of dried meat and said, "I hope that means I'll get a good price."

"You should," he said, gnawing. He moved around, feeling the different furs.

Looking out at the city, Wen took a bite and said, "I've never seen so many lights before. It's like looking across at the night sky instead of up."

"That's brilliant!" said the boy, suddenly at her side. "I've never thought of it like that. I bet we could even set up patterns so it looked like constellations. They could guide people around the city at night! I need to tell Grunkle Fo--" He cut himself off and looked over at her.

"It's okay," she said. "I wasn't planning on doing anything with lights on buildings today."

"It's not that," he said, looking across to the city again.

After some silence, Wen asked, "Where in the city do you live?"

"Oh, I don't live in the city, but my sister and I are sent to visit family here every summer."

"I didn't expect it to be beautiful," she said as more lights were lit.

"Me either," he said, dreamily.

She looked at him and saw that he was looking at her.

He jumped at her gaze. "Oh, look," he said, pointing, "There's a torch bearer now." He dropped out of the wagon and ran off, paused, and ran back.

"Here," he said, reaching his hand out. "If you ever need help from someone, find a guard -- one that’s not drunk -- and they'll help you."

She took a child-sized ring from his hand and he ran off to the torch without another word.

Wen put the ring in a pocket and then arranged the furs on the bottom of the cart. She laid herself down on them. As she looked at the stars over head, she thought the strange little boy. She hadn't even gotten his name, she thought as she drifted off to sleep.

She woke not with the sun, but with the smells of cooking nearby. She hadn't smelled anything like that since her mother's cooking. Memories threatened to overwhelm her, but she shoved them down and focused on her grumbling stomach. Drowsy, the climbed down from the back of the wagon and washed her face and hands. The water was cold and washed most of the sleep from her eyes. Before she set off looking for something warm to eat, she prepared her booth.

Sales that morning had been better than what she'd expected, but as noon approached the people trickled away from the sellers. Noon was the beginning of the tournament. Wen dropped the canopy to cover her wares then headed to the field. She'd miss the actual games, but she wanted to be there for the opening.

She pushed through the crowd to get as close to the kings' landing as possible. She was so young when she saw them before, she wondered if they lived up to her memory. She hoped.

Shortly after Wen pushed her way to the front, a very large man in a green robe stepped out. On his chest was the crest of House Pines: a pine tree divided down the center, one side all in black, the other simply outlined, a triangle with a single opened eye was at the bottom, in front of the tree. The large man pushed his hood back and grinned. He had the teeth of a beaver. He looked familiar, and not because she had trapped more than a hundred beavers over the last year.

"People of Grav," he said, "honored visitors, dudes in armor, welcome! Today will be filled with thrills, chills, and maybe a little laughter. Today grown men wearing tin will try to stab each other with really long sticks while riding on horses. And if that isn't funny, then I don't know what funny is."

The crowd cheered.

"And now, the men who brought this to you, from the Great House Pines, King Ford and King Lee." King Ford stood tall in his Scholar robe as he stepped onto the platform. King Lee looked a little bent over, but strong.

"Next, for the first time, the Kings present their heirs. I give you the princess--"

"Mabel?" Wen gasped. When did Mabel become a princess?

"--Mabe and her twin brother Prince Dip."

The field thundered with applause.

The prince looked familiar. She stared at him as he looked around at the crowd. When he locked in on her, he smiled. He had a bruise around one eye.

She gasped again. It was the boy she'd helped the night before. She'd helped the Crown Prince and didn't know. Her stomach felt sick. She pulled the ring from her pocket and saw the royal seal. She was going to be sick.

When the kings and their heirs sat, the man in green raised his hands to silence the crowd and said, "Yes, we're all happy to meet the princess and pri--"

Thunder boomed down on the crowd. The sky was clear. There was no flash of lightening. Thunder boomed again.

The world flickered. The royal family stood much closer to Wen now, behind a low wooden wall? Why was King Lee wearing a red fez? How did she know it was a fez? What happened to the princess's gown? What were those metal shapes around King Ford's eyes? Why was Soos smiling?

The world went white. There was no thunder. When her vision cleared, Wen...dy saw a short blonde, in a cloak so dark that it made the night seem bright, next to the royal family. Smoke rose from her feet.

Fika, Witch of the Northwest Barrens.

"FIKA!" someone screamed! Another scream. And another. Wendy felt panic encircle her. Before anyone else in the crowd moved, she took a step forward. She was going to be up there with her friends and stop the witch.

On her third step, the panic broke and the crowd ran in every direction. Fika pulled something from her cloak -- Wendy couldn't see what it was. -- whirled her hand over her head then pointed at Dipper. A rope appeared around him. With a tug, he was at the witch’s side.

Finally on stage, Wendy shouted, "PACIFICA, STOP!"

The witch grinned over her shoulder, waved a hand in front of her, and shoved the prince forward. He disappeared. Fika took a step forward and disappeared, too.

Wendy charged to where Dipper and the witch disappeared and ran into something hard.

"What are you doing up here?" asked King Lee.

"There's no time, Mr. Pines," she said, feeling the hard air for... something. She knew something was there, but she couldn't say what.

"That's your Majesty, missy."

One hand on the hard spot in the air, she reached out with the other to Mr. Pines and opened it.

The King's eyes shot opened at the sight of Prince Dip's ring. He fell to his knees and said, "Dipper." The princess and Stanford Pines were at his side immediately. Wendy still felt the hard spot in the air. She knew there was something there she could use.

"Dudes," said Soos, "what's going on?"

Something stuck out from the air. Something round and just as invisible as the wall in front of her.

Wen pulled at the round thing. Nothing happened.

Wendy turned the round thing, then pulled. A door opened in the air in front of her, a bright hallway behind it. She ran through it and down the hall.

The witch, Fika turned to face Wendy. Wen stopped running and shrank back in fear. Wendy saw the bright orange stone around Pacifica's neck. Pacifica would never wear orange because orange, especially that close to her face, made her look sickly. Behind the witch stood Dipper, his face blank.

"There's nothing you can do, peasant," spat the witch, raising her hand.

"Maybe there's nothing the peasant can do," said Wendy, stepping forward and reaching out, "but there still plenty the lumberjack can do!"

Wendy grabbed the stone from around the witch's neck, dropped it to the floor, and stomped as hard as she could.

Pacifica fell forward and collapsed into Wendy's arms. She buried her face deep into Wendy's flannel and sobbed, "I thought it would bring me a happy ending. I just wanted a happy ending."

"I know," said Wendy, running her fingers through the girl's blonde hair. "I know."

[internetgremlin-writes]

Hi can I request 89 for some lighthearted/funny Daniel Ricciardo

89 - "You sent me pictures of you naked whilst I was in a work meeting!"

Oh yes anon, yes I CAN

Prompt night info and list so you can request your own ficlet/HCs here!

soft danny in hoodies>>>

Okay, so you shouldn't have been on your phone in the middle of a big corporate meeting, that was on you.

But man, it was boring. You just didn't care anymore, it was as simple as that. You'd only ever taken the job to get you by through a rough patch and then as the way life often goes in the corporate world you ended up stuck there because it was easy. A simple 9-5, low effort, sat at your desk faffing with spreadsheets and numbers. Easy, no thoughts.

But since you'd met Daniel your world had been turned upside down. Picking strangers up in a bar is never a good idea, you knew that much, but when an extremely handsome Australian is flirting with you like there's no tomorrow you don't have to say no. Even if he's telling you he's a racecar driver, which is obviously bullshit. So you took him home, and he proved to you within ten minutes that it was completely the right decision.

And then he invited you to a race and you rolled your eyes and told him you didn't mind what job he did. And then he told you it wasn't a lie so you said okay fine, expecting to be taken to an underground drag race or something. And then you were sat in the back of a very, very nice car and you were being driven out of the city and you were being led through masses of stands. And then you realised you were watching Formula One cars, and the Australian named Danny was in fact a driver, and a bloody good one too.

You'd barely blinked and it had been six months. The best of your life, with Daniel desperate to spoil you and show you the glamour he had been blessed with. You loved it, of course, you did. Fancy dinners, destinations beyond your wildest dreams, private jets. But you'd run out of paid time off and you had to miss the rest of his races for the season, right as it was ramping up to the summer.

Daniel had offered so many times to take care of you. He promised you that if you quit your job you'd never have to want for anything again. He'd pay for everything, he could afford to, he wanted to. But you couldn't, it was too early and too fragile in the relationship to give up everything for him. What was different about Danny was that he understood you, and he respected your decisions. He supported you in wanting to work your way up yourself, that you didn't want to give over all of your independence. He liked that you liked him for so much more than his money.

Your phone buzzing in your hand brought you back from your recent daydream about the last race weekend you'd been to, and the impromptu weekend in Dubai he'd whisked you off to afterwards because he felt like it. However this week, it was Daniel's turn to exist in your life. He was visiting you for a few days in his week off, but you hadn't been able to get the time off work, so he was left to entertain himself in your house for the day.

He knew you were in a meeting, but he wouldn't stop texting you. And because you were completely and utterly addicted to him, there was no way you were ignoring a text from him.

Danny Ric: Miss you

You smiled down at your phone. You were just typing out an equally sappy reply when another message popped up.

Danny Ric: ;)

Danny Ric: Sent a photo

It flashed open before you could stop it. At first you didn't register the brown blur across your screen, as you flinched from the sudden colour amongst the simple messages you'd been sending back and forth. Your mouth went dry when you realised what it was.

It was Daniel, alright. Standing in your bathroom, with a white towel wrapped far too low around his hips. His phone held up, that signature grin on his face when he knew he was causing trouble, which was a lot of the time with Danny. He was wet, skin shining in the mirror. Every muscle was outlined down his strong shoulders, defined six-pack and your personal favourite, the obnoxiously perfect V-line. Your stomach clenched and you nearly choked on the water you'd just taken a sip of.

You had to click the phone screen off as you began to splutter, one of your colleagues thumping you on the back and asking if you were okay. You managed to choke out a yes, and convince them that they could go back to their segment for the marketing department. If your face hadn't been bright red before, it most certainly was now.

Your next mistake was looking back down at your phone.

Danny Ric: Sent a photo

You were your own worst enemy sometimes, but there was nothing that was going to stop you from seeing what he'd sent now. This time you were smart enough to not drink whilst you discreetly opened it, and you were glad you didn't because the sight alone would have been enough to put you in a hospital.

You'd been expecting another selfie, maybe one of his stupid smoulders he liked to play with, or a filter to ruin the mood. But no.

The towel was gone, and Daniel was on your phone in his full naked glory. Tattoos out, messy hair, the whole shebang. The hand not taking the photo was wrapped around his erection, his head tilted back to show you his neck that you so loved to bite.

You were glad that you didn't have to add much to the rest of the meeting, and you must have looked out of it because by the time you got to lunch a simple "I think I ate something bad last night," was enough to get you sent home.

Your hands were trembling as you unlocked your door, with no idea what to expect behind it. Danny hadn't sent anything else, and you'd been too stunned to reply to his last image. The house was silent, which wasn't too surprising, you'd expected him to be hanging out in your room.

You were right, although you couldn't deny that you were a little disappointed when you saw he'd changed into grey sweatpants and a bright yellow hoodie. He was crashed out, laid starfish on your bed. You decided to give him a taste of his own medicine.

"Daniel!" he bolted upright, eyes widened in confusion and fear "You sent me pictures of you NAKED whilst I was in a WORK MEETING!" His brain seemed to catch up because a wicked grin slowly made its way across his face, not an ounce of remorse to be seen.

"Sorry," the fucker even had the audacity to blow you an air kiss.

"You don't need to worry about me quitting my job, if you keep pulling stunts like that I'm going to lose it," you scolded him, but your tone was already lightening. His hair was messy on the top of his head and the photo was still burnt into the back of your mind. You'd stared at it for twenty minutes in the ladies' toilets straight after the meeting.

"You loved it though," he reached up to pull the hoodie off as if to prove his point, giving you an in-person viewing of what he'd shown you hours before. You rolled your eyes, hands on your hips as if you could keep up the hard-to-get act for much longer.

"It was highly unprofessional,"

"It was highly arousing,"

"Oh shut up,"

"Make me,"

That was enough to have you ripping your blouse off, bag dropped at your side as you crawled onto his lap, straddling his already growing bulge with ease.